So thanks to a Napster promotion, I’ve got a free 1GB Creative Zen V. I was bored, so I tried to install the Zen V Plus firmware onto it. It wan't hard. Now I can play Videos on my Zen V (no FM radio though).

Directions:

Download the ZEN V Plus firmware 1.32.01 here. It’s last update was in 07, so I don’t think there’s going to be a newer version, but if there somehow is, follow the “how this works” instructions in the next section to do it manually.

Make a copy of the ZENVPlus_PCFW_L22_1_32_01.exe file you just downloaded. Name it ZENV_Patch.exe.

Now, you should be getting an error on the device. THIS IS NORMAL. The firmware update should fail and put you in recovery mode.

In recovery mode on the Zen, choose “Reload Firmware”

Now, on your PC, force quit ZENV_Patch.exe and open up ZENVPlus_PCFW_L22_1_32_01.exe

Wait until the update is done, and your Zen V is now a Zen V Plus!

How this works:

Now, how does this work? Well, basically the first “firmware update” with ZENV_Patch.exe makes the device think it’s a Zen V Plus, and the second update with the official file actually copies the firmware on. ZENV_Patch.exe is just the Zen V Plus updater hex-edited to run on the Zen V. You can make your own ZENV_Patch.exe by taking the official update, opening a HEX editor, and replacing every instance of “C.r.e.a.t.i.v.e. .Z.e.n. .P.l.u.s” to “C.r.e.a.t.i.v.e. .Z.e.n” (Please note that the periods represent the ASCII character 00 (null)). After doing so, the updater will accept the Zen V.